Army Hands Down 35 Year Sentence to Bradley Manning

By Mark Memmott, NPR

21 August 13

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Scott Galindez for RSN reports Manning will be eligible for parole after serving one third of his sentence. With time served that could mean roughly 10 years.

ACLU Comment on Bradley Manning Sentence

"When a soldier who shared information with the press and public is punished far more harshly than others who tortured prisoners and killed civilians, something is seriously wrong with our justice system. A legal system that doesn't distinguish between leaks to the press in the public interest and treason against the nation will not only produce unjust results, but will deprive the public of critical information that is necessary for democratic accountability. This is a sad day for Bradley Manning, but it's also a sad day for all Americans who depend on brave whistleblowers and a free press for a fully informed public debate."
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rmy Pfc. Bradley Manning, who was responsible for the largest leak of classified information in U.S. history, was sentenced by a military judge to 35 years in prison Wednesday, according to reporters covering the trial at Fort Meade, MD. He'll get about 3 1/2 years' credit for time he's already spent behind bars.

More details (added at 10:30 a.m. ET):

• Manning is also to be dishonorably discharged.


• The maximum sentence possible was 90 years.


• Prosecutors had asked that he be given 60 years.


• Manning's defense asked for a 25-year sentence.


• Manning's lawyer plans to speak to the news media at 1:30 p.m. ET.

Also: "Manning's sentence will automatically be sent to the Army Court of Criminal Appeals," The New York Times adds. "Before the next phase can begin, the entire court-martial proceedings must be turned into an official transcript, which both the defense and prosecution, as well as the judge, must approve; that process is expected to take considerable time. Pretrial hearings started in 2012, and the trial itself began in early June."

Our original post follows.

Army Pfc. Bradley Manning, the former intelligence analyst responsible for the largest leak of classified information in U.S. history, is to learn Wednesday just how many decades he'll be sentenced to serve behind bars.

Manning faces a maximum sentence of 90 years in prison for the crimes he committed in 2010. Prosecutors, as the Associated Press reports, have asked that he be put away for at least 60 years. "The defense," adds the AP, "has suggested a prison term of no more than 25 years, so that Manning, 25, could rebuild his life. Defense attorney David Coombs asked for a sentence that 'doesn't rob him of his youth.' "

Earlier this week, Manning told the military judge at Fort Mead, Md., that "I'm sorry I hurt people. ... I'm sorry that I hurt the United States. I'm apologizing for the unexpected results of my actions. The last three years have been a learning experience for me."

The judge has said she plans to begin spelling out Manning's sentence at 10 a.m. ET. We'll watch for that news and update this post.

Manning was convicted in July of most of the charges he faced, including multiple counts of espionage. But he was acquitted of the most serious: aiding the enemy. As we've previously written, he admitted that in early 2010 he gave WikiLeaks "more than 700,000 documents, including battlefield reports and U.S. Embassy cables."